Paradise VIII
by Dakk Tribal
Summary: Despite finding himself in a unique predicament Squall is convinced by a certain angel to finally take the time to enjoy himself / Squall Rinoa fluff, first part of a seven part series, maybe a lemon later
1. Chapter 1

A breeze went through the open door of the balcony and swam over Rinoa and Squall as they slept. Rinoa had her back to the door lying on her side facing Squall who was sound asleep. As for the young woman she was just beginning to stir, and for the last few minutes had been admiring her boyfriend as he slept. For as serious as he looked when around others, she couldn't help but think of how cute he looked when he was sleeping.

Shifting in the bed while remaining as close to Squall as she could, Rinoa was grateful to have changed clothes before going to bed last night. The warmth of the island finally got to her during the night and so now instead of her normal blue blazer she wore a black tank top and matching shorts. Squall must have had a similar idea as he wore a white tank top with his black pants. The bed covers were pushed toward the end of the bed, the air being just warm enough that they weren't needed. Being a tropical island it was really warm even in the early morning. It reminded Rinoa of the jungles outside Galbadia Garden. 'Though there aren't any monsters to pummel you here,' she thought.

She had heard the chiming of the clock minutes ago, and as much as she desired it she didn't want to stay in bed all day, even if Squall were to be in the mood. She was quite confident in his response.

 _'_ _Better wake him.'_

Rather than shake him or anything to suddenly wake him up, Rinoa smiled as she leaned in and kissed him on the cheek.

"Squall, it's time to get up."

He opened his eyes slowly, and moved them to Rinoa. His voice was groggy, "I thought I was dreaming."

"About what?"

"That I was in a constant battle with no end in sight, then you came along and there was peace in my life."

"That's a rather interesting dream," she replied before sitting up on her knees.

Squall pulled himself up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, and he looked around the room. He hardly remembered getting into the room last night. "How long have we been in bed?"

"Since the little moogle brought us here," Rinoa stretched her arms out and let out a yawn. Squall moved his legs off the side of the bed and Rinoa moved closer to him. "By the way…"

"Hmm?" He rotated his upper body towards her, and Rinoa gently pressed her forehead to his.

She whispered with a light giggle, "This is the first time we've shared the same bed together." For a split second she thought she saw a faint sign of a smile on Squall's lips. They hadn't done anything except sleep despite what their friends would probably think. Not yet anyway.

"That's true," he replied softly, "Though I wished it would have lasted longer. I really enjoyed it."

Rinoa pulled back, feigning surprise at what he just said, "Why, Mr. Leonhart, I believe you just spoke your mind. That's an amazing accomplishment!"

He paused. 'It's not that…big of a deal…' he thought, his inner voice realizing he just repeated his usual habit of keeping his thoughts to himself. Now he felt like a fool.

Rinoa noticed and lightly laughed. "It's okay, Squall. You've gotten better since we got together. Take your time and you'll ease into telling more."

'Never one to push too hard, huh Rinoa,' Squall thought, this time smiling for real. "Alright then."

He stood up and walked to the circular table in the center of the room where his leather jacket and gunblade were placed next to Rinoa's blue blazer.

Though she liked the soft mattress Rinoa also got out of bed and ran to the balcony door. Another breeze came through and it made the white curtains sway as well as her ebony hair. She inhaled and exhaled the sweet ocean air. She turned to Squall, her hair still going through the breeze, "This place is amazing…"

Squall had been watching her, finding the moment to remind him of Balamb Garden after it had dodged a missile strike, and he was once again mesmerized by her beauty.

"That it is," he said just before he heard a knock at the door. 'Strange…'

Rinoa began to walk towards the door, "Wonder if that's room service…"

She got to the door and after she opened it, Squall heard her speak excitedly, "How cute!"

He didn't know what it was that got her so giddy. Not until he heard a muffled 'kupo' did the mercenary figure out it was a moogle who was at the door.

"Squall! The moogles are providing free room service!"

Finding himself smirking, Squall set down his jacket and walked towards the door. He stopped as the moogle somehow pushed a dinning cart into the room. How the little guy did it with such a small frame he didn't know, but it was packed with various dishes that were covered with silver lids. It looked as fancy as the resort itself, something of a trait at this place.

Rinoa was already trying to decide which one to try, lifting a lid and finding a plate full of pancakes ready for dishing out. "Looks really good, doesn't it Squall?"

Though he didn't acknowledge it verbally, his stomach agreed, especially after he saw the eggs and sausages in the other plates. His mouth felt like it would start to water unless he got a bite soon.

The moogle's pom-pom swayed in the air, "Breakfast lasts for an hour, kupo. I'll be back for the cart at that time. Please enjoy your meal, kupo!"

As he floated away Rinoa thanked him and pushed the cart over to the table, "What should we try first…"

Squall sat down at the table, not sure of what to talk about first with Rinoa. He had only three days to talk to her, and he didn't want to waste the time he had.

But as he saw her eagerly urge him to eat something; he felt he could ask her later in the day.

Right now though, he was hungry.


	2. Chapter 2

After they had received Mog's blessing and were left to their own devices for what they wanted to do on the island, Squall and Rinoa decided to go to the beach.

Squall was the first to go, as Rinoa said she had left something behind in their room and had run back to get it. Squall's outfit change didn't bother him, going from black pants to shorts that ended just below his knees and a white shirt to a tank top. What bothered him was that his gunblade had been taken from him. He had always carried the blade with him even in times of peace, and Rinoa had always joked that it was like an offensive form of a security blanket.

He usually ignored this topic and went about his business.

The sand felt soft under Squall's bare feet, and feeling rather venturous he walked out into the water until he was ankle deep. He stared out at the water and failed to realize that he was being stalked from behind.

"BOO!"

Instinctively he spun around, grabbing whoever was behind him in the underarms and proceeded to drive them back first into the shallow water.

Water from the act went up into the air and Squall's soldier mentality evaporated when he saw that it was Rinoa he was hovering over. She appeared to be okay though she was obviously regretting what she had done.

"Remind me to not do that again…" she said raising one hand to the back of her head.

"Dammit Rinoa, I'm sorry," he said, feeling genuinely bad for reacting the way he did.

However, this feeling was replaced with another feeling when he saw what Rinoa was wearing. The blessing of Mog had changed her outfit to a two piece bikini that was sky blue and on the cups of the top were her trademark angel wings.

Feeling his eyes on her chest Rinoa playfully smirked, "What are you looking at, Mr. Leonhart?"

Feeling like an even bigger moron than before Squall turned his head, "Please don't..."

He would have gotten up but Rinoa's arms wrapped around his neck and pulled him down. His face collided with her chest and she started to laugh because she had overdone it but was still funny to her.

Squall hoped that they weren't being watched. Though he and Rinoa were officially together back home he tried to stay out of the spotlight especially with his personal relationship. Thus he was still prone to shying away from intimate interactions with her when out in public.

Here on a beach on a mysterious island run by moogles, where no one he knew resided he seriously tried to let loose and enjoy himself but old habits died especially hard with him it seemed.

He pulled himself up from his girlfriend, who was still giggling like crazy, and looked her in the eyes, "You're lucky nobody is watching us."

"Why is that? We're just acting like how typical teenagers in love are supposed to act: having fun with each other," she said.

Squall sat up on his knees while Rinoa sat up on her elbows, her body wet from the surf that came up from the water. "Sorry, I'm still getting used to all this…"

Rinoa eyes registered the apologetic look in Squall's eyes and her playful demeanor calmed down considerably. She felt that she had been too forward in playing with him, and that she had done it too fast. She decided to be more subtle, getting on her knees and scooting closer to him.

He locked eyes with her and she tilted her head to the side and smiled. "I forget at times on how different a pace you have compared to others. I'm sorry for rushing you."

A decent sized wave washed over both of them.

Squall had already forgiven her, if anything he blamed himself more than anything, but Rinoa already knew this and it reminded him of how lucky he was to have someone like her understand him.

He moved to lie back in the sand before motioning to Rinoa to join him. He did this as another way to apologize for what happened earlier as well as for denying her intimacy. The look she gave him was initial surprise but then was quickly replaced with eager enthusiasm and she got close to him. She put an arm around his abdomen and, feeling a bit gutsy, wrapped one of her legs around one of his.

"This okay?"

He brought a hand to her shoulder and pulled her close, his answer given with action as usual. Rinoa understood and rested her head on his chest.

He was slowly easing into it and though he still had a ways to go, he was making a steady rate of progress.


	3. Chapter 3

Though there was still much of the island to explore Squall and Rinoa had decided to remain on the beach for most of the day. They still had time to go everywhere else on the island and Rinoa didn't seem to be in a hurry, which was alright with Squall who loved taking it slow.

As the sun began to set they were relaxing under the shade of the tree line, Rinoa was sitting next to Squall and rested her head on his shoulder. Both were watching the sunset, which gave off an enticing orange glow. That and the sound of the waves gently washing up on the shore made for quite the romantic setting.

This didn't go unnoticed by Rinoa. She gave a relaxed sigh, "Such a pretty view, don't you think?"

Squall nodded once before gently squeezing Rinoa's hand. She hadn't even noticed that he had a hold of her. A pleasant surprise, she thought, considering what happened earlier.

"There you are, kupo!" The peace was interrupted by the arrival of a moogle. This one had a name tag on the red vest it wore on its furry little body. It went by the name Moglin. "I was wondering where you went, kupo."

Squall's head turned in the direction of the creature, and though he hid it behind his stoic exterior he was quite upset at his private time being interrupted.

Luckily Rinoa was the composed one in this situation. She too raised her head from her resting place and brought her knees up to her chest, "Well you found us. Something going on?"

The moogle did a spin in the air, "Curfew will be starting soon, so all guests must return to their rooms, kupo."

Squall and Rinoa exchanged looks with each other. No one had said anything about a curfew.

The moogle must have sensed their confusion but went about his business, "Must have been lost in our introductions earlier. We apologize for the inconvenience, kupo."

Rinoa couldn't help but be a little disappointed, while Squall brought up a valid point. He got up on his feet and putting his hands in his short pockets.

"Well, it is starting to get dark. We can't have any sort of fun when that happens, can we?"

Rinoa raised an eyebrow at his statement. Did he really just say that? She found herself surprised by him twice in such a short amount of time she was wondering if she was dreaming.

She smiled lightly before getting on her feet as well, "Nope, not at all. Besides, I need to change into something dry, otherwise my skin will look like prunes."

"Curfew is in effect, Mister Mog, and all the guests are in the hotel, kupo."

The staff of the resort was finishing up their rounds, putting papers away and cleaning up the desks while making sure everything was ready for the following morning. There was even a moogle checking the weather forecast for the next seven days, making sure the weather was in optimal conditions for a tropical vacation.

Mister Mog was floating around with his entourage of smaller moogles getting updates from them. For one moogle to run a resort was indeed a daunting challenge Mog didn't show any signs of stress at the job. He had been running it for a very long time, and had yet to run into something that would drive him nuts. Save for Kupo Nuts, that is.

He checked off a request form another moogle had offered him and moved onto another pressing matter. "By the way, I heard that the rocks behind the waterfall are cracking, kupo."

The smaller moogle named Mooge nodded, "Yes sir, kupo! Seems the gradual disintegration of the water on the rocks is making it crack."

"Why hadn't I been notified of this before? This could pose a threat to our guests, kupo!"

"We only discovered it today, kupo! A few guests notified us of rocks falling in the lagoon and we inspected it later in the afternoon. We plan to block off a section of the lagoon as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of everyone, kupo. After that we will begin working to make it stable again."

Mog sighed, "Well, least we found it before it crashed. Things could be a lot worse, kupo."

The two moogles then heard squeaking that gave them the impression that something was off. The moogle behind the large computer screen was going bonkers. So much so that his pom-pom looked like it would fly off any moment, "Mister Mog! We have a problem, kupo!"

Quickly the moogles all gathered around the desk but moved out of Mog's way when he approached, "What is it, kupo?" Going through his mind was all sorts of calamitous problems that could be the problem: ships discovering the island, an eidolon emerging from within the island, or even a swarm of vegetarian bugs that could eat the island's vegetation all went through his mind. However, none of those turned out to be the problem.

The smaller moogle brought a picture of a nasty looking storm heading towards the island, "It's terrible, kupo! Tropical storm fast approaching!"

The other moogles gave signs of panic but Mog remained steadfast.

"I see...and it doesn't look like it is going to miss us either, kupo..." There had been threats of tropical storms and hurricanes in the past but by multiple strokes of luck the resort had always been spared. This time the storm seemed to be heading right for it with no sign of diverting its path. What bothered Mog however was how fast the storm had formed; it was like it had come from out of nowhere.

"How long until it gets here, kupo?"

The moogle typed away at the keyboard and kept its eyes on the computer screen, "This time tomorrow night it will be at our doorstep, kupo. We should have visuals on it by sunrise though. We'll get the full force of it when it arrives, kupo!"

Another moogle approached the desk, "What should we do sir? We might have to lock down the island and keep everyone inside-"

Mog wasn't paying attention to anyone around him. Not out of panic or nervousness, the gears in his head were turning and protocols for such an event were beginning to be made in his mind.

He knew what needed to be done. "Nobody panic. I know what to do, kupo. It will take all night but we can do it, kupo."

After washing off the sand from their bodies in the showers Squall and Rinoa returned to their room. When they got there they saw a couple surprises waiting for them.

The first was an entre of food, made up of a silver cart and the table had delicacies laid out on expensive silver platters. Squall liked the meats that were on display, while Rinoa herself eyed the cheesecake.

The second surprise was a couple of small piles of clothes. Rinoa grabbed the first one, which was made up of clean undergarments and a single piece of clothing. Upon further examination Rinoa made a discovery of the single cloth.

This is a night dress, she thought as she held it up to her body. Looking at herself in the mirror that was on the bathroom door she was surprised to think it might actually fit her. She had never worn a dress for bed in a long time, least not since she had been a toddler. Rinoa noticed Squall looking at her. "Something wrong?"

Squall took his time and saw that the second pile of clothes was a simple black t-shirt and black night pants for him. He shook his head, "Not really..."

She exhaled quickly, "Squall, how many times have I said its okay to say you were looking at me?" In the past she had been more open with her modesty around Squall, this included walking around her home underdressed. She had the right to do so, but there were a few times that Squall had stumbled upon her in such a state. Considering they were lovers he also had the right to let his eyes wander over her whenever he desired. Still, he acted like a little boy whenever she caught him looking for a moment too long. She didn't have a problem with it, as long as it was him.

Squall merely sighed, knowing he was caught in a corner he didn't put up any resistance. "I forget at times."

He grabbed the pile of clothes designated for him and intended to go the bathroom and change. He would have made it too had Rinoa not stepped in front of him and blocked his path.

"What is it?" He hoped she wasn't going to speak her mind on the subject further, otherwise it was going to be a long night.

She smiled, "Just wanted to say you're adorable when you're flustered, that's all."

Lowering his chin in relief, Squall started to go around Rinoa towards the bathroom but she held onto his hand as he passed. She looked up at him with those puppy eyes of hers. The kind that told him to give her some affection otherwise she was not going to be happy until he did.

Knowing the consequences of such an event Squall gave her what she wanted in the form of a kiss in the middle of her forehead. He didn't see her smile though he knew he had done something right from the light giggle she gave off in response.

He slowly pulled away, "I'm going to use the shower quick."

Rinoa nodded once, feeling satisfied, but she decided to put the rain on his parade. "Good, then after I take one and we get into bed together I'm going to give you a crash course on what's okay for you to do in our relationship."

Though he should have seen something coming Squall knew he had walked into that trap, but he was in a moment of bliss for the first time in a while. He could handle Rinoa's lecture in the comfort—and privacy—of their bed.

"I look forward to it," he replied comfortably.

Rinoa giggled playfully, "Then get going commander. I can't wait."

* * *

Author's Note: FINALLY I wrote something! I've been stuck in writer's block for months, but thanks to the remaster of FFVIII finally releasing I got the inspiration to start writing again. The Paradise series is one of my favorite projects and I realize that I haven't shown it any love in a long while, so I hope to add more chapters to the series in the future. I also got a sister-series I plan to upload in the future. I'm rusty in writing, and it shows easily in this chapter, so I apologize. Once again, the Paradise series is an anthology, you don't have to read the others to know what is going on.


	4. Chapter 4

Rinoa had finished putting her bikini on when Squall came out of the bathroom. She had a new one on compared to what she wore yesterday. While blue and with the angel wing motif she adored on the front, the clasp that held the garment together was on the front, held on with a silver feather pendant. "Okay Squall, repeat what I told you last night."

Hearing Rinoa's instruction as he put his white t-shirt on Squall didn't make much of an expression. Despite just taking a shower he was unable to dry himself thanks to the humidity. Still, being the soldier that he was he kept his complaints to himself, especially in front of his girlfriend. Last he need was to give her something new to use against him in case of an argument in the future.

With a sigh he began, "It's okay to look though not inappropriately. It's okay to touch, but only when you are okay with it. It's alright to talk about how you're 'my girl' but not in an obsessive way…" He turned around and was immediately met by Rinoa who was smiling up at him and she locked her eyes with his. She was waiting for him to finish reciting the lesson she had taught him last night.

That is when Squall remembered the most important rule she had taught him, one he had trouble expressing out loud in front of others. "It is okay to say…I love you in public."

With that Rinoa cheered, "Good job, Squall! You passed!"

'I didn't even know I was taking a test…though I suppose I walked into that one,' he thought, not feeling too proud of himself for passing this test. They had spent the better part of an hour talking about the dos and don'ts of being a boyfriend while they had been in bed together. That would sound rather boring but for Squall it was a crash course in something he desperately needed to learn. Being the stoic loner he had been for most of his adult life had been hard to shake off ever since the SeeDs had vanquished Ultimecia and his need to fight had been taken away. He quickly found himself on a new battlefield, one of romance with Rinoa. His feelings for her were true and they both knew how much they cared for one another. Yet, Squall still had a tough time adjusting.

Thankfully Rinoa was more than patient with him despite his cautiousness.

Grabbing the shear white jacket that was on the table and putting it on Rinoa spoke, "The moogles said it was going to be hot in the sun today, so I think we should avoid it."

Squall crossed his arms, 'But isn't the point of a vacation on an island to enjoy the sun?' Again, he kept his complaint to himself. Instead he tried to find a way around the obvious. "We should head into the island…I heard there's a lagoon deeper inland."

Rinoa turned and put a hand to her chin as if deep in thought though the expression she gave was anything but thoughtful. More like mischievous. "Oh I see what you are doing Squall."

"Huh?"

She playfully stepped toward him, "Taking your girlfriend to a romantic lagoon deep in the jungle where no one can see us. I see how it is."

He turned away from her, but failed to hide his reddening cheeks. How she could speak about that out loud so comfortably was beyond his field of comprehension. "That's not it. I just…don't want you to get sunburned."

Putting her hands on her hips, Rinoa looked slightly disappointed. "Missed opportunity there Mr. Leonhart. Besides, I would wear sunblock if you were that worried."

"Missed opportunity?"

Deciding to get her point across Rinoa jumped into Squall. He caught her, a reflex he had acquired during their previous adventure, and held her close.

Clearing her throat Rinoa spoke as she put her hands on the back of his neck. "Here I am, wearing next to nothing, sweating like Angelo on a hot day and on a tropical island where none of our friends happen to be with us, and you don't see that as a chance to show each other some love?"

Like hitting a brick wall Squall acknowledged what she said. Any other couple would be going all out in the face of such a chance. But they both knew why he had been unable to capitalize on it. He was hesitant. A story as old as their relationship, and a terribly kept secret on top of it.

"I'm sorry."

Getting up on her toes Rinoa planted a kiss on Squall's unsuspecting lips. It was a quick one, but it held all the affection she had for him. "It's okay. I will say this much though; I will get you further out of your shell by the time we leave this place. I promise you that much."

To her surprise Squall nodded, looking into her eyes and with a degree of confidence she had not seen since they set foot on the island he replied, "Then I promise you I will exceed your expectations."

"Promise?"

"As your knight, I promise you I will."

Her heart began to beat faster. As her knight, not as a SeeD, he promised her. That already raised her confidence in him a notch or three. He was serious now. "Then we better get to it then. Let's go to the lagoon."

She reluctantly pulled herself away from Squall. He let her be the leader this time around and followed her out the door.

Though it was only approaching noon the sun's rays were like lasers and though covered in fur the moogles were feeling like their fur was being cooked. Mr. Mog kept them going however; the storm was coming towards the island. The wall of dark grey clouds was getting closer and closer with each passing hour.

However even as they tried to get the island in being prepared for the storm there were many problems that became quite apparent. First, the entire island would not be protected by magic so Mr. Mog instead decided to concentrate his power on protecting the hotel itself. That solved that problem. However the big one was he wasn't going to be able to stop the island from being ravaged. In all his years of owning the place, the resort had never been damaged significantly like it was going to be in the next few hours. All he hoped for was that the damage wasn't too much to bear.

"Mr. Mog, kupo!"

A small moogle, the youngest employee at the island to be exact, named Moogel frantically came up to his boss his fur slick with sweat.

The boss tried to keep the conversation short. "What do you have to report, Moogel?"

"The caves, shacks, and merchandise have all be secured, kupo! The food has been moved into the hotel. We're about ready for the storm, kupo."

Mog nodded, "Least that is on track, kupo…"

"Oh, and there's one more thing I should mention, kupo."

"Hm?"

"A female customer came up to me all frantic, kupo. She said she was assaulted by some human male who made off with some of her belongings, kupo."

"The third time I have heard of this happening, kupo…" This was not the first time Mog had heard of someone doing this. In fact it had been more frequent the last couple of days. A man people would call a beach bum would stalk a woman and when she lowered her guard he would cause mayhem on her. Nothing dangerous like physical harm but a nuisance that wasn't needed. Such actions weren't tolerated at the resort but the moogles had their hands full just looking for the perp. Though they had looked all over the island he had avoided the moogle's justice, and with the storm coming they had bigger problems to worry about on top of it.

"Should I ask a few of the others to go look for him, kupo?" Asked Moogel, eagerly awaiting his next set of orders.

Mog shook his head. "Though I cannot allow him to roam free, we must prepare the island for the storm. I want you to find the other guests and warn them about this fiend, kupo. Can you do that?"

Moogel spun in the air, his can do attitude was the reason Mog trusted him so much. "Got it boss, kupo!" He flew away in a flash, and Mog returned to his duties.

The lagoon wasn't as far in as Squall as thought. Past the jungle and down a rather steep slope into an area near the mountain was where they found it. A series of flat rocks in an area about the size of the ballroom back in Balamb Garden covered the area. The sun was shining from above but thanks to the mist created by the tall waterfall in the background it wasn't nearly as hot as it would have been had it been on the beach. There was a giant rock in the center of the pool were the sun's rays reached, keeping it mostly dry compared to the slick and wet surfaces of the other rocks. Most of the rocks were flat on top and were over six feet tall. The water itself started out ankle deep but as it got to the center of the pool it would be about chest height. The water was cold too, which was refreshing to the two people now coming into the area.

Rinoa wasted little time running out into the water, her sore and hot feet feeling better the second she got them into the water. The cold water caught her off guard. "Whoa, that's cold!" Still she appreciated it after a hard night's sleep.

Squall shook his head at her folly and followed a small distance away. He was looking all over to convey his surroundings, a habit he had picked up during his SeeD training. What got his attention were the field of vision. It was sorely lacking in open areas. Trees lined the pool and in the pool itself were boulders taller than even him.

"Squall!"

He turned in time to get a splash of cold water right in his face. "Hey!"

Rinoa giggled, knowing she had taken him by surprise, "Got you!"

Giving her a stern look at first Squall then softened his expression at her playful action. "What was that for?"

"We're playing tag. Come and catch me!"

"What are you, two years old?"

"Will you stop asking questions and chase me?"

Squall crossed his arms and pouted, he couldn't remember the last time he played tag (or if ever, to be honest).

When he didn't answer Rinoa splashed him again and this time Squall avoided the water. "Come on, Squall…" she thought for a moment and then playfully said, "Permission to touch me granted."

The soldier's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. Unlike before he caught this open invitation and intended to make it work. He had promised her after all. "You'll regret that," he said with a small smirk in the corner of his mouth.

Rinoa realized her mistake but it was too late as Squall began to run at her. She bolted in the opposite direction towards the waterfall.

The rocks jutting out of the pool provided perfect cover as the two ran through them, more than once Squall thought he had lost Rinoa in them but her incessant giggling gave away her position rather easily and he was back on her as quickly as he had lost her. Avoiding the deeper end Rinoa eventually tried to back track to the beginning but instead ran straight into the arms of her boyfriend. Squall grabbed her by the arm and pulled her to him. She squirmed in his grasp even as he didn't try to do anything to her. Even after she got out of his arms the first time she didn't get far before she had to rest. Her breathing was becoming heavy from the exertion of energy and laughing so hard.

Resting on a flat boulder that was in the sun, Rinoa felt the warmth of the sun and actually welcomed it unlike earlier where she cursed it. Squall leaned against the same rock to gather himself, and while he hardly showed it he had been having fun chasing his girlfriend.

"That was a good way to spend some energy…" he said aloud.

Rinoa sat on the edge of the rock next to Squall, "And it was a vast improvement for you as well, Squall. I'm proud." She emphasized her approval by playfully patting the top of his head.

"I'm not Angelo…" he grumbled.

Rinoa wasn't bothered, though she was something else entirely. "I'm thirsty. Let's go get some drinks."

Crossing his arms over his chest Squall looked up at her. He had a better idea. "I can go and get some. There was a shack on the beach that looked like it sold them."

"Be the gentleman…good job Squall." She attempted to pat his head again but he telegraphed it and moved out of her reach. "When we get back we can play some more."

While he had avoided her hand Squall surprised Rinoa by coming back in and standing between her legs. It took a good deal of willpower to do that. Rinoa took the opportunity to put both her hands on his shoulders. Squall meanwhile put his hands on her hips, trying to see how far he could go with her and maintain his comfort zone. Rinoa pushed it further by planting a kiss in the middle of his forehead.

'So much for waiting,' he thought with a bit of satisfaction in his own progress. "I like that idea."

Eager to get to that promised point Rinoa turned him around and pushed him towards the exit of the lagoon. "Then you'd better get going so we can continue when you get back."

Squall turned back to her, "You're not going with me?"

She shook her head before stretching her arms above her head. "If you're just going to go and get drinks and come back I'll just stay here and wait for you."

Not finding a way to convince her otherwise Squall let it go. "I'll be quick about it."

Before he turned he saw her blow him a kiss and he gave a small smile in return before he turned towards the slope.

As soon as he was out of sight Rinoa sighed before lying back on the rock to bask in the sun, not being able to contain her excitement at what games they could play when he got back.

Little did she know that out of her line of sight another set of eyes were locked on her, with malicious intent behind them.

Squall got back to the beach a few minutes after he left the lagoon. The trek back to the beach was more grueling than he had expected, even though he had to walk up a steep hill and through a small path through the jungle. The shack on the beach wasn't too far from the jungle and a lone moogle was watching over it.

"Hello sir! How can I help you, kupo?"

Squall approached the counter, "A few bottles of water, please."

Acknowledging his request the moogle went to work. It was then that Squall noticed all the boxes behind the counter. It looked like he was going on a long trip and was trying to take the shack with him.

"Something happening?"

The moogle put four unopened bottles of spring water on the counter before answering him. "There's a large tropical storm on the way, so we have to get our stuff inside before it gets here, kupo."

Squall took the bottles and put them in a bag, 'Guess that means we won't have all day to be in the lagoon.' There was a bit of somber in that thought and he didn't realize it at first he found himself disappointed at the prospect. Then again, that didn't mean they couldn't continue back at the hotel room…

'Did I really just think that…?' Squall said and he shook his head. Had she been with him Rinoa would have smacked his shoulder for such a thought. Not for the thought itself but for the fact that she missed him thinking about it at all.

"Hey Moggles, kupo!"

Another moogle came flying from out of nowhere and Squall was passing it as it approached the shack.

The moogle from behind the counter tried to calm the new arrival down. "Moogel, what in the name of the Great Mog is the problem, kupo?"

"We're almost done with securing the island, but I was asked to warn you to be on the lookout for a troublemaker running around the island. Apparently he targets lone customers and steals their stuff, kupo."

Moggles shook his head, "That guy again, kupo? Last time he attacked a woman and hurt her. He should have been caught by now! He makes us look so incompetent and lax in our security, kupo."

"Anyway I was told to warn everyone about this guy by Mr. Mog himself, kupo." He turned around, not forgetting about Squall when he had passed him earlier. "Sir did you hear any of—huh? Where'd he go, kupo?"

He didn't know it but Squall had taken off in a run the moment he had heard the first warning, his mind filled with thoughts of Rinoa and her safety.


	5. Knight

**Got to ask for the public opinion, bt how are the stories doing? What is working and what could be better? Anyone have any ideas? Please share and, like always, enjoy!**

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Not long after Squall had left Rinoa had decided to bask in the rays of the sun. Though she welcomed the cool air of the lagoon she needed some warmth and so she laid out on one of the flat rocks and bathed in the sunlight. Sighing aloud she relaxed, waiting patiently for her boyfriend to return.

'Shouldn't take him long…can't wait for the fun to resume,' she thought with glee, having had fun with their game of tag earlier and couldn't hold in her excitement at continuing it.

Through the roaring of the waterfall she thought she heard wading through the water and she smiled, "Took you long enough—" She sat up and expected to see Squall approaching her but to her surprise it wasn't him but another man. "Oh, sorry, I thought you were someone else."

The man had spikey black hair and wore black swim shorts. He had a muscular build and tribal tattoos on his arms. Imposing to the eye and yet he wore a carefree smile that was more concerning to Rinoa. It was a smile that hid true intentions, one that made one worry what he could be up to. "That's okay sweetheart, I was just coming over to introduce myself."

'Sweetheart? We just met and already he has a pet name for me? This guy is bold…' thought Rinoa. That wasn't the worst of it as she found out right away. Remaining sitting on the rock Rinoa felt his eyes leering over her body which understandably creeped her out. She brought her knees up to her chest. "Is that so?"

Crossing his arms over his chest the young man introduced himself, "Name's Lorne, and I was wondering if you'd like to take a stroll on the beach."

Wasting no time Rinoa shook her head, "Sorry but I am with someone."

Lorne looked around and saw no one in the area, "Doesn't look like it to me, sweetheart."

"Stop calling me that, and—" she was cut off as Lorne walked up to her.

Putting his hands on the edge of the rock Lorne leered at Rinoa, and for the first time in a long while she felt a twinge of fear go through her being. "I'll call you whatever I like. Now, how about a drink?"

'I don't want to be anywhere near this guy,' thought Rinoa and before she knew it she was getting to her feet. "Like I said before, I'm with someone and I'm going to find him. Later."

She intended to walk around him and break out into a run for the beach but she never got to the first step of her escape plan as Lorne caught her ankles and pulled her feet out from under her. The result was she landed on her bum and he pulled her legs into the water. Before she could even react Rinoa's lower back was pressed against the edge of the rock and he kept her pinned there by pressing his body against her. She was trapped.

A slight swell of panic formed in her, "W-What are you doing?!"

Lorne smiled as if there was nothing wrong, "Just want to talk to a pretty girl, is there something wrong with that?"

"Uh, yeah! There are better ways to get a girl's attention and this is not the way to do it!"

He leaned in to where his face was mere inches from touching hers, he spoke in a lustful tone. "Then show me the right way."

Rinoa's eyes went wide. He wasn't going to try and kiss her, was he? 'Like hell he will!' She shoved him back with all the strength in her arms and hopped onto the rock, intending to run into the cluster of rocks and hopefully lose him in there.

She didn't count on him recovering so fast however and Lorne grabbed her ankles again and violently yanked her legs out from under her. Rinoa started to fall and her chest connected with the rock first and she tried to get away. "Let me go!"

Lorne pulled Rinoa back to him and he grabbed her by her arms intending to turn her around but she was putting up a better fight than he had anticipated. He tried to hold her still but in her struggling his hands found her chest instead and he soon had a handful of her breasts in his palms. That and she heard him growl in her ear, "Stop moving and I won't have to hurt you."

Through her swimsuit top Rinoa felt his fingers rough her up, kneading her chest with reckless abandon and Rinoa felt herself unable to move out of fear of what else he would do to her. The groping she received gave her shocking sensation that clouded her mind and movements. His hands moved over her chest, checking her size and going on the underside of her breasts as if to check their weight.

He didn't keep his lewd opinions to himself, whispering with that lustful tone that made Rinoa shiver in fear. "Not very big but good enough for me…"

Desperately trying to keep herself quiet, not wanting to give him any sort of satisfaction from feeling her up Rinoa nearly gasped as she felt his hands go up to her shoulders and push the straps of her top of them. He must have loosened the clasp on her back beforehand as her top fell unimpeded to the rock in front of her. Her breasts were exposed to the cool air of the lagoon, and the tips were hardened as a result of the cold. His hands went back to her chest and the moment he felt the hardened nubs against his palms he sounded satisfied, "That's better, don't you think?"

This time Rinoa couldn't hold herself in. "Go to hell!"

Lorne pulled back from her ear and grabbed her top. He tossed it aside and roughly grabbed her chest again. His movements were quick as he pulled, pinched, and kneaded her orbs. His intention was not to just get a feel for her, but for a much malicious reason. He wanted to hear how good it felt for her, though her mind was totally against him. "Feels good, right?"

Rinoa didn't even want to acknowledge the sensations she was feeling no matter how good she felt as a result. Not for this guy. "My boyfriend is better than you!"

Before he could reply Lorne thought he heard the splash of water behind him and when he turned his head to see what it was he was met with a solid fist to his jaw. Bones fractured upon impact as Squall's fist connected with his jaw, he had mustered all the raw power he could get and reared back again. The first blow got Lorne by surprise but even as he expected a second one Squall sent his balled up right into the man's nose. It was shattered upon impact and blood went flying in a splash, landing in the water and on the rocks. Still even as he fell into the knee high water Squall wasn't finished. He leapt on top of the pervert and the two traded fists, though it was evident that the SeeD commander had the advantage. Lorne groaned in pain and scrambled to get away from the vicious onslaught brought upon him, and he ran like a blind man for the jungle to get away. The victor was obvious though Squall had a level of anger swell in him that could only be compared to the wrath of a god. His right fist was partially bloody and he was shaking with adrenaline and anger.

Yet as much as he wanted to go after Lorne, his main concern turned elsewhere.

'Rinoa…'

The SeeD turned to his girlfriend. She was sitting on the rock, her arms covering her bare chest and unable to move. He approached her, putting his hands on her upper arms, unable to speak but his eyes conveyed his feelings louder than any words he could muster.

Rinoa was busy checking herself out. "That meanie really had a handful of me…" She looked her boyfriend in the eyes and from there she could see the overwhelming level of concern he had for her. She smiled though she was in obvious discomfort. "I'm alright, honey—hey!"

Rinoa was cut off as Squall grabbed her hands and pulled them from her chest. She immediately went red in the face and she took in big gulps of air as her chest was bare for his eyes to see.

Though under different circumstances Squall wouldn't be doing this, he had to see how hurt she was with his own eyes. What he saw sent his blood boiling. She had red marks on almost every inch of her skin, with the tips of her breasts being bright red from being pinched and pulled and even little dark spots from where Lorne's fingers had dug into her skin could be seen.

Squall's heart sank, and his anger left him, the void was quickly filled with sorrow. "No, you're not okay, Rinoa."

She took her hands from his grip and covered herself again out of reflex. Though he had lowered his chin Rinoa bent over far enough to where she could see his eyes. "You rescued me. That's all that matters right now."

Still Squall remained silent.

Knowing he wasn't going to speak for the time being Rinoa got off the rock and successfully grabbed her missing top. As she put it back on she continued, "That and you made him regret ever touching me."

"I would have broken every bone in his damn body," Squall growled.

That Rinoa couldn't have imagined ending any other way. Had Squall not had any form of self control he might have done just that.

Still, while she wished he had laid the hurt on Lorne a bit more she was happier knowing he had come to rescue her. "Like a knight to his princess…" She couldn't help but giggle.

Squall heard her, "Huh?"

"I'll tell you later, right now we are going to continue what we started earlier," was all she said before she grabbed his hand and pulled him back towards the slope.


End file.
